European Broadcasting Union

EBU approves Israel's 2026 Eurovision song after undergoing minor adjustments

Each song undergoes a review process, and EBU officials requested a few minor adjustments for Israel's entry, which the Israeli songwriters agreed to.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
Noam Bettan will represent Israel at Eurovision 2026.
Yuval Raphael, representing Israel, performs "New Day Will Rise", during the Grand Final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, May 17, 2025.

Former Eurovision contestant Yuval Raphael co-writes song selected for this year's submission

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN announced Friday that the song, which was written by Raphael with Nadav Aharoni and Tzlil Klipi, was selected on Friday by its professional committee.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
Eurovision 2026 logo

Italian broadcast reps. urge inclusion of Palestine in Eurovision 

Only countries with a public broadcaster that is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) participate in Eurovision, and Palestine does not have a public broadcaster.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
Yuval Raphael, representing Israel, attends the second semi-final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, May 15, 2025

Eurovision Song Contest changes voting rules after controversial allegations against Israel

The new rules by the European Broadcasting Union discourage governments and third parties from "disproportionately promoting" songs to sway voters.

|ByREUTERS

EBU cancels vote to boot Israel from Eurovision following Israel-Hamas ceasefire

The vote on Israel’s participation was proposed because several countries that take part in Eurovision, including Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Iceland.

OCTOBER 13, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN
YUVAL RAPHAEL, enveloped by an Israeli flag at the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, was also enveloped by the Israeli people.